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Article MASONIC PORTRAITS. (No. 62.) AESCULAPIUS. ← Page 2 of 2 Article MASONIC PORTRAITS. (No. 62.) AESCULAPIUS. Page 2 of 2 Article REMARKS UPON "Q.'s" CRITICISMS ON THE DUNCKERLEY QUESTION. Page 1 of 2 →
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Masonic Portraits. (No. 62.) Aesculapius.
therefrom was made the occasion for giving him a complimentary dinner , and presenting him with a handsonn < epergne as a testimonial of the appreciation in which hismany and great services to the Lodge were held . The dinnei was given under the presidency of tho Worshipful Master ,
who , in presenting the testimonial , described at some length the valuable services which our brother had rendered to Freemasonry , and closed his remarks , almost word for word , to the following effect : " I have great pleasure in giving to you the sincere thanks of the brethren
of this Lodge for tho many and valuable services which , from time to time , you have rendered them , and at their wish , and on their behalf , present you with this epergne , which I hope you and yours may long enjoy , and I hope also that you may have along , prosperous and happy life . "
Ho is also the recipient of a solid gold Past Grand Officer s jewel , which another Lodge of which he is a member presented to him , and of a silver goblet , by no means of liliputian size , the gift of a third Lodge . But his services have not been limited to Craft Masonry . As soon as he
was qualified to do so , he was exalted to the R . A . degree , and diligently served the office of Scribe E . iu a Chapter situated at a considerable distance from his home . Appreciating , however , tho great inconvenience arising from there being no R . A . Chapter in the town where he lived ,
he and sundry other R . A . Masons petitioned Grand Chapter for a warrant of Constitution . This was at once granted , and , in 18 G 9 , Chapter 1051 was consecrated , and our eminent Companion installed in the chair of the First Principal . On retiring from his office , the Companions
presented him with aPastZ . ' s jewel set in diamonds . Subsequently he became Second Principal in his Province , and anotheryear having elapsed , he was further honoured by being
appointed Standard Bearer to the Supreme Grand Chapter . He has likewise , as in the case of Craft Masonry , acted again and again as Installing Officer of Principals ; and one of his latest Masonic acts was the consecration of a
new Royal Arch Chapter and the constitution of a new and separate Provincial Grand Chapter . In the Mark Degree to which he was advanced shortly after the union of tho English and Scotch Rites in the North of England , ho is the founder and Past W . Master of a Lodge named
after him . He has also occupied the position of a Grand Warden in his Province , and that of Grand J . O . in the Mark Grand Lodge . Ho has also distinguished himself as a Knight Templar and Knight of Malta , and not only has he filled the office of E . Commander of his Encampment ,
but ho has likewise had high rank conferred upon him both in his Province and in the Grand Priory of England . He is an enthusiastic member of the A . and A . Rite , has devoted considei'able time and energy to the promotion and progress of a Rose Croix Chapter , which has the
reputation of being one of the most efficient iu the Northern District , and has recently taken the 32 ° S . P . R . S . —a proof that his zeal and attention are fully recognised in Goldensquare . He is a Knight of the Red Cross of Rome and Constantine , and after filling the office of M . P . S ., he was
appointed Intendant General of a Division , and has acted as Consecrating Officer at the foundation of two very flourishing Conclaves . As regards other degrees , he is a member and Prov . Grand Officer of the Royal Order of
Scotland , Commander of Ark Mariners , a Past Celebrant of the Rosicrucian College , a member of the Order of Hio-h Priesthood , and a Master of the St . Lawrence degree . But , numerous as are the distinctions he has received in the
branches of Masonry to which he belongs , there is yet another for which he is indebted to himself alone . This we are accustomed to regard as the highest distinction which a Mason can possibly gain , and is worth , in one sense , all the rest put together . Ho is a loyal supporter of
all our Charitable Institutions—a Life Governor , we believe , of each of them , and the number of bars and clasps he is entitled to append to his Charity jewel—somo twelve or fifteen—suffice to indicate the amount of labour he has undertaken in order to promote their welfare .
We are now approaching the close of our sketch . We have shown what he has been , the offices hehas filled , and the many and well-merited distinctions which have been showered upon him , or which , as a practical exponent of true Masonic Charity , he has won for himself . Wo will simply add that
in the midst of all his numerous engagements he is but seldom absent from his Masonic duties , be they in connection with Lodge or Chapter , Conclave or Encampment , and those among his juniors who desire his assistance always find him ready and willing to impart instruction and afford
Masonic Portraits. (No. 62.) Aesculapius.
them aid in the discharge of their several duties . May he , , in tho words of the Worshipful Master of his mother Lodge , when presenting him with a testimonial—as quoted above— " May ho enjoy a long , prosperous , and happy life ! "
Remarks Upon "Q.'S" Criticisms On The Dunckerley Question.
REMARKS UPON "Q . 's" CRITICISMS ON THE DUNCKERLEY QUESTION .
BY BKO . JACOB NORTON .
IN tbe FREEMASON ' S CHRONICLE of 2 Sth September Bro . " Q . " lectured me for endeavouring to upset the " Masonic version " of Dunckerley ' s parentage ere I had read tlio article in tho Freemason ' s Magazine of 1796 . Bro . Q . is evidently hot headed , nnd hence ho i 3 apt to pay no attention to an artielo which contacts with his received faith . My good brother has certainly misconstrued or magnified mv
offence . In my lettor printed 15 th July I have not committed my . self one way or the other , as the following paragraph will show : — "I propose to reproduce both accounts about Dunckerley , and though it is impossible to demonstrate which is true , yet the reader will have a chance of judging for himself . " I have acknowledged the impossibility of demonstrating which is
true , bnt yet the printing of both accounts has enabled Bro . Q . to learn that Mrs . VV . was Lady Walpole , and it -also compelled mo to read the article in Freemason ' s Magazine for 1796 . I did indeed know of its esistonco some years ago , but we have not got the volume of 1796 in Boston . However , Bro . Carson , of Cincinnati , kindly copied
it for me . I have the whole of it now at heart , and am therefore now prepared to say what I shall say . To do full justice to the subject , I would have to reproduce all the evidence -pro and con , but as , for obvious reasons , that cannot be done , I must refer the reader to the previous papers in tbo FREEMASON ' S
CHRONICLE upon this question . " Q . " says , " Thero is no antecedent improbability against the truth of the Masonic version of Dunckerley ' s parentage . " I thought so too , when I sent my letter , headed " Conflicting Accounts , " & c , but since I have read the sequel of Dunckerley in tho volume of 1796 , I havo changed my views . Thero aro some facts in the second narra
tive of the Freemason ' s Magazine that one conld not readily believe , but yet , to any ono who had read the history of the two first Georges there is realiy nothing in tho Masonic version , that is either impossible or improbable . For instance , I firmly believe as probable that Lady Ranolagh consented to make her residence a place of assignation for the Prince of Wales's amours , that she even sent her
own carriage to bring his favourites to her house , and kept them there , and treated them on a , perfect footing of equality , during the Prince ' s pleasure j and even afterwards , for her Ladyship to visit tho Prince ' s favourite at Somerset Honse , or anywhere else . I can believe , that Lady Walpole was cognizant of hor servant ' s intrigues with tho Prince of Wales during his visit at Houghton . I
could even believe that Sir Robert Walpole and his lady could provide a pretty girl for the entertainment of tho Prince during his stay at their honse . Nay , I should not be astonished to hear that tho Princess of Wales , afterwards Queen Caroline , had sont hor own carriage for Mrs . Dunckerley for the samo purposo that Lad y Ranela" -h did . ( For further information I rofer to the Appendix at tho end
of this letter ) . But while the immoral state of the conrt , tlio coartiers , and the court parsons ( as will bo seen in the Appendix ) , would favour tho probability of the " Masonic version" of Dunckerley , yob , paradoxical as ' it may appear , this very looseness of morality among the highest classes forms an insnperablo reason for disbelieving
Duuckerley's story . Thus , Mrs . Dunckerley had certainly been a servant in the house of Sir R . Walpole ; the man she was married to was also a servanf . ; and Mrs . Dunckerley ' s mother was a midwife . Mrs . Pinkney informed Dunckerley that his mother told her that she was the daughter of a physician . It is very strango that Dunckerley had never heard of it before . It is not , however , improbable that her
father may have been a barber , who performed bleeding and cupping —and may have ndmininistered some physic too ; such " surgeon barbers , " were common in England in those days , and aro still to bo found in Poland and Russia , and this may accouut for the statement in the Gentleman's Magazine , that his grandmother had bonnd young Dunckerley to a barber . Bnt bo this as it may , it is certain that bis
mother and his grandmother were poor , aud hence I cannot understand why a woman in Mrs . Dunckerley ' s circumstances should hare felt ashamed to acknowledge herself the favourite of the Prince of Wales , at a time when the idea of shamo was unknown among the highest ladies in tho realm . It is alleged by Dunokerley that his mother told Mrs . Pinkney , five days before hor ( Mrs . D . ' s ) death : —
"My son might have been known to his royal lather , and I might have lived in as elegant a manner as Mrs . H . [ Howard ] or Mrs . B ., bnt my dear mother reclaimed me from so criminal a passion , and dread of public shame prevented my making it known . " According to tho " Masonic version , " the secret was known to Dunckerley sen ., to Lady Ilanelagh , to her servant or confidant ,
Mrs . Meekin , to Mrs . Dunckerley s mother , and the said mother informed Mrs . Pinkney in 1724 , at the birth of Thomas Dunckerley , that the Prince of Wales was the child's father . Besides which , the secret of the Prince ' s intrigues with Mrs . Danckerley is said to have been ki . own to Lady Walpole , aud to Mr . L y ( probably Lumley ) ,
who is said to have been the Prince s go-between iu love affairs . When so many knew it , it is rather strange that it was unknown to Sir Edward Walpole . But presuming that her mother was reall y conscientiously religious—yet , for the sake of the boy and his future prospects , a mother , even a religious mother , should not havo scrupled to make the parentage of the child known to the Prince
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Masonic Portraits. (No. 62.) Aesculapius.
therefrom was made the occasion for giving him a complimentary dinner , and presenting him with a handsonn < epergne as a testimonial of the appreciation in which hismany and great services to the Lodge were held . The dinnei was given under the presidency of tho Worshipful Master ,
who , in presenting the testimonial , described at some length the valuable services which our brother had rendered to Freemasonry , and closed his remarks , almost word for word , to the following effect : " I have great pleasure in giving to you the sincere thanks of the brethren
of this Lodge for tho many and valuable services which , from time to time , you have rendered them , and at their wish , and on their behalf , present you with this epergne , which I hope you and yours may long enjoy , and I hope also that you may have along , prosperous and happy life . "
Ho is also the recipient of a solid gold Past Grand Officer s jewel , which another Lodge of which he is a member presented to him , and of a silver goblet , by no means of liliputian size , the gift of a third Lodge . But his services have not been limited to Craft Masonry . As soon as he
was qualified to do so , he was exalted to the R . A . degree , and diligently served the office of Scribe E . iu a Chapter situated at a considerable distance from his home . Appreciating , however , tho great inconvenience arising from there being no R . A . Chapter in the town where he lived ,
he and sundry other R . A . Masons petitioned Grand Chapter for a warrant of Constitution . This was at once granted , and , in 18 G 9 , Chapter 1051 was consecrated , and our eminent Companion installed in the chair of the First Principal . On retiring from his office , the Companions
presented him with aPastZ . ' s jewel set in diamonds . Subsequently he became Second Principal in his Province , and anotheryear having elapsed , he was further honoured by being
appointed Standard Bearer to the Supreme Grand Chapter . He has likewise , as in the case of Craft Masonry , acted again and again as Installing Officer of Principals ; and one of his latest Masonic acts was the consecration of a
new Royal Arch Chapter and the constitution of a new and separate Provincial Grand Chapter . In the Mark Degree to which he was advanced shortly after the union of tho English and Scotch Rites in the North of England , ho is the founder and Past W . Master of a Lodge named
after him . He has also occupied the position of a Grand Warden in his Province , and that of Grand J . O . in the Mark Grand Lodge . Ho has also distinguished himself as a Knight Templar and Knight of Malta , and not only has he filled the office of E . Commander of his Encampment ,
but ho has likewise had high rank conferred upon him both in his Province and in the Grand Priory of England . He is an enthusiastic member of the A . and A . Rite , has devoted considei'able time and energy to the promotion and progress of a Rose Croix Chapter , which has the
reputation of being one of the most efficient iu the Northern District , and has recently taken the 32 ° S . P . R . S . —a proof that his zeal and attention are fully recognised in Goldensquare . He is a Knight of the Red Cross of Rome and Constantine , and after filling the office of M . P . S ., he was
appointed Intendant General of a Division , and has acted as Consecrating Officer at the foundation of two very flourishing Conclaves . As regards other degrees , he is a member and Prov . Grand Officer of the Royal Order of
Scotland , Commander of Ark Mariners , a Past Celebrant of the Rosicrucian College , a member of the Order of Hio-h Priesthood , and a Master of the St . Lawrence degree . But , numerous as are the distinctions he has received in the
branches of Masonry to which he belongs , there is yet another for which he is indebted to himself alone . This we are accustomed to regard as the highest distinction which a Mason can possibly gain , and is worth , in one sense , all the rest put together . Ho is a loyal supporter of
all our Charitable Institutions—a Life Governor , we believe , of each of them , and the number of bars and clasps he is entitled to append to his Charity jewel—somo twelve or fifteen—suffice to indicate the amount of labour he has undertaken in order to promote their welfare .
We are now approaching the close of our sketch . We have shown what he has been , the offices hehas filled , and the many and well-merited distinctions which have been showered upon him , or which , as a practical exponent of true Masonic Charity , he has won for himself . Wo will simply add that
in the midst of all his numerous engagements he is but seldom absent from his Masonic duties , be they in connection with Lodge or Chapter , Conclave or Encampment , and those among his juniors who desire his assistance always find him ready and willing to impart instruction and afford
Masonic Portraits. (No. 62.) Aesculapius.
them aid in the discharge of their several duties . May he , , in tho words of the Worshipful Master of his mother Lodge , when presenting him with a testimonial—as quoted above— " May ho enjoy a long , prosperous , and happy life ! "
Remarks Upon "Q.'S" Criticisms On The Dunckerley Question.
REMARKS UPON "Q . 's" CRITICISMS ON THE DUNCKERLEY QUESTION .
BY BKO . JACOB NORTON .
IN tbe FREEMASON ' S CHRONICLE of 2 Sth September Bro . " Q . " lectured me for endeavouring to upset the " Masonic version " of Dunckerley ' s parentage ere I had read tlio article in tho Freemason ' s Magazine of 1796 . Bro . Q . is evidently hot headed , nnd hence ho i 3 apt to pay no attention to an artielo which contacts with his received faith . My good brother has certainly misconstrued or magnified mv
offence . In my lettor printed 15 th July I have not committed my . self one way or the other , as the following paragraph will show : — "I propose to reproduce both accounts about Dunckerley , and though it is impossible to demonstrate which is true , yet the reader will have a chance of judging for himself . " I have acknowledged the impossibility of demonstrating which is
true , bnt yet the printing of both accounts has enabled Bro . Q . to learn that Mrs . VV . was Lady Walpole , and it -also compelled mo to read the article in Freemason ' s Magazine for 1796 . I did indeed know of its esistonco some years ago , but we have not got the volume of 1796 in Boston . However , Bro . Carson , of Cincinnati , kindly copied
it for me . I have the whole of it now at heart , and am therefore now prepared to say what I shall say . To do full justice to the subject , I would have to reproduce all the evidence -pro and con , but as , for obvious reasons , that cannot be done , I must refer the reader to the previous papers in tbo FREEMASON ' S
CHRONICLE upon this question . " Q . " says , " Thero is no antecedent improbability against the truth of the Masonic version of Dunckerley ' s parentage . " I thought so too , when I sent my letter , headed " Conflicting Accounts , " & c , but since I have read the sequel of Dunckerley in tho volume of 1796 , I havo changed my views . Thero aro some facts in the second narra
tive of the Freemason ' s Magazine that one conld not readily believe , but yet , to any ono who had read the history of the two first Georges there is realiy nothing in tho Masonic version , that is either impossible or improbable . For instance , I firmly believe as probable that Lady Ranolagh consented to make her residence a place of assignation for the Prince of Wales's amours , that she even sent her
own carriage to bring his favourites to her house , and kept them there , and treated them on a , perfect footing of equality , during the Prince ' s pleasure j and even afterwards , for her Ladyship to visit tho Prince ' s favourite at Somerset Honse , or anywhere else . I can believe , that Lady Walpole was cognizant of hor servant ' s intrigues with tho Prince of Wales during his visit at Houghton . I
could even believe that Sir Robert Walpole and his lady could provide a pretty girl for the entertainment of tho Prince during his stay at their honse . Nay , I should not be astonished to hear that tho Princess of Wales , afterwards Queen Caroline , had sont hor own carriage for Mrs . Dunckerley for the samo purposo that Lad y Ranela" -h did . ( For further information I rofer to the Appendix at tho end
of this letter ) . But while the immoral state of the conrt , tlio coartiers , and the court parsons ( as will bo seen in the Appendix ) , would favour tho probability of the " Masonic version" of Dunckerley , yob , paradoxical as ' it may appear , this very looseness of morality among the highest classes forms an insnperablo reason for disbelieving
Duuckerley's story . Thus , Mrs . Dunckerley had certainly been a servant in the house of Sir R . Walpole ; the man she was married to was also a servanf . ; and Mrs . Dunckerley ' s mother was a midwife . Mrs . Pinkney informed Dunckerley that his mother told her that she was the daughter of a physician . It is very strango that Dunckerley had never heard of it before . It is not , however , improbable that her
father may have been a barber , who performed bleeding and cupping —and may have ndmininistered some physic too ; such " surgeon barbers , " were common in England in those days , and aro still to bo found in Poland and Russia , and this may accouut for the statement in the Gentleman's Magazine , that his grandmother had bonnd young Dunckerley to a barber . Bnt bo this as it may , it is certain that bis
mother and his grandmother were poor , aud hence I cannot understand why a woman in Mrs . Dunckerley ' s circumstances should hare felt ashamed to acknowledge herself the favourite of the Prince of Wales , at a time when the idea of shamo was unknown among the highest ladies in tho realm . It is alleged by Dunokerley that his mother told Mrs . Pinkney , five days before hor ( Mrs . D . ' s ) death : —
"My son might have been known to his royal lather , and I might have lived in as elegant a manner as Mrs . H . [ Howard ] or Mrs . B ., bnt my dear mother reclaimed me from so criminal a passion , and dread of public shame prevented my making it known . " According to tho " Masonic version , " the secret was known to Dunckerley sen ., to Lady Ilanelagh , to her servant or confidant ,
Mrs . Meekin , to Mrs . Dunckerley s mother , and the said mother informed Mrs . Pinkney in 1724 , at the birth of Thomas Dunckerley , that the Prince of Wales was the child's father . Besides which , the secret of the Prince ' s intrigues with Mrs . Danckerley is said to have been ki . own to Lady Walpole , aud to Mr . L y ( probably Lumley ) ,
who is said to have been the Prince s go-between iu love affairs . When so many knew it , it is rather strange that it was unknown to Sir Edward Walpole . But presuming that her mother was reall y conscientiously religious—yet , for the sake of the boy and his future prospects , a mother , even a religious mother , should not havo scrupled to make the parentage of the child known to the Prince